I've been lucky that my work and my life have been so intertwined. Barry Lemoine

Barry Lemoine, a Chalmette High educator and one of the "Men of PENN TV," has been named by the St. Bernard Business and Professional Women's Club as its Man of the Year. Lemoine, of Arabi, will be honored at the club's Business Women's Week Gala October 22 at the Sigur Center, 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.

Tickets and table reservations will be available September 1. Tickets are $55 per person. For tickets or reservations, call Wanda Alcon at 504.451.3694.

For more than 50 years, the women's club has annually honored two people for their contributions to the parish and professional accomplishments.

Nora Eagan of Arabi will be honored as Woman of the Year. She will be highlighted in an upcoming Around Arabi column.

Lemoine said he is pleased and proud to have been selected Man of the Year. "I love the people of this parish and to be honored in front of my family and friends this way means a lot to me," he said.

Playfully regarded as the "Bard of St. Bernard," Lemoine has spent most of his adult life as a teacher, writer, and producer of theater and educational television for PENN-TV.

Lemoine also promotes the parish each week as a neighbhorhood columnist for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

"I've been lucky that my work and my life have been so intertwined," he said. "As a writer, teacher, producer and performer, I've been able to meet and collaborate with so many talented people. Someone once said that I had a golden touch, but I told them I just try to surround myself with golden people."

Among his many accomplishments, Lemoine is president of SHINE Productions LLC, St. Bernard's only professional theater company. Since 2001, SHINE has brought entertainment and education to venues across the metro area. His original play, "An Evening with Betsy, Voices from the Storm," garnered two Big Easy nominations, the only time a St. Bernard production was ever recognized.

As an educator, Lemoine has inspired many students and has been recognized as Andrew Jackson's High School Teacher of the Year.

As a writer, Lemoine has had a number of plays produced in St. Bernard and across the country. Including his 2006 "Voices of Louisiana" which told the story of the history, and heartache of his hometown. Another one of his original works, "The Somewhat True History of St. Bernard Abridged: A Love Story," had a sold-out run.

"My next show will be a comedy about the Battle of New Orleans or as I call it, 'The Battle for New Orleans-in Chalmette,'" he said. He said that it will be historical and hysterical.

Months after Hurricane Katrina, Lemoine started a nonprofit organization, the Voices Foundation. Its mission is to preserve the history and culture of St. Bernard. Under his leadership, the Voices Foundation has hosted art workshops, senior citizen performances, and has awarded over $10,000 in scholarships to aspiring actors and artists.

Lemoine said he is grateful to Angelle Lailhengue and other members of the BPW for the honor. "I am really looking forward to the gala next month and hope all of the special people in Nora Eagan's life and mine will come together for an unforgettable evening," he said. "And, as guest of honor, I wont have to sit at the kid's table this year."